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The envoy was a Dutchman from Holland. He was met outside our lines by Lieutenant Fanshawe, of the 19th Hussars, who conversed with him for about two hours, till the answer returned. Seated under the shade of the cart, he enjoyed the enemy's hospitality in brandy and soda, biltong, and Boer biscuit. "But for that white rag," said the Dutchman, "we two would be trying to kill each other.
Therefore when I left the wagon to eat, or try to eat some breakfast, I found the whole camp in a state of bustle. Boers were shouting to their servants, horses were being examined, women were packing the saddle-bags of their husbands and fathers with spare clothes, the pack-beasts were being laden with biltong and other provisions, and so forth.
I awoke just as the dawn was beginning to flame across the sky in sheets of primrose and of gold, or rather it was little Tota who woke me by kissing me as she lay between sleep and waking, and calling me "papa." It wrung my heart to hear her, poor orphaned child. I got up, washed and dressed her as best I could, and we breakfasted as we had supped, on biltong and biscuit.
At length we halted, thoroughly worn out with fatigue and with that hope deferred which maketh the heart sick, and ate up our poor remaining piece of biltong and drank our last sup of water, for our throats were like lime-kilns. It seemed to us that we had escaped Death in the darkness of the treasure chamber only to meet him in the darkness of the tunnels.
I did so, and there before us, Heaven be praised! was the first step of a stone stair. "Now what is to be done?" asked Good. "Follow the stair, of course, and trust to Providence." "Stop!" said Sir Henry; "Quatermain, get the bit of biltong and the water that are left; we may want them." I went, creeping back to our place by the chests for that purpose, and as I was coming away an idea struck me.
At last, towards the end of the third week, we had as much as our men could carry in the shape of ivory, rhinoceros horns, skins and sun-dried buckflesh, or biltong, and determined to start back for Umbezi's kraal next day.
It was small enough, but do what we would we could not get its weight down under about forty pounds a man. This is what it consisted of: The three express rifles and two hundred rounds of ammunition. Five Cochrane's water-bottles, each holding four pints. Five blankets. Twenty-five pounds' weight of biltong i.e. sun-dried game flesh. Ten pounds' weight of best mixed beads for gifts.
The provisions consist solely of biltong that is, dried meat, generally venison. The sustenance contained in even an inch of this is such that the fourteen days' provision amounts to but little in bulk. It is said that if a Boer has a rifle, ammunition, and a piece of biltong in his pocket, he will fight till further orders. It is surprising how quickly the burgher forces can be levied.
There were heaps of provisions, quantities of coffee tied up in small bags, sugar, rice, biltong, i.e. dried strips of flesh, a sort of bread biscuit much used by them on the march, and made at the farms, and other things. All were done up in small quantities in such a way that individual men could carry it.
I sat upon the box of the first wagon, eating my food, which consisted of some biltong and biscuit, for I had not bothered to shoot any game that day, which was very hot, and wondering whether Zikali were still alive, also whether I should take the trouble to walk up the kloof and find out.
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